Labour don't get Facebook

I am not one of those who believe the internet will have a huge impact on the Westminster election, but if it does have an affect it doesn't look like Labour is going to be one of the beneficiaries, the poor Labour party just doesn't seem to get how the internet works.

In the middle of March Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy made the claim that Labour represented the Facebook generation. Nothing wrong with that as far as it gos, all parties have to try and appear to be the best representatives of younger voters. However if Mr Murphy actually understood anything about Facebook he should know that such a comment would immediately spawn a Facebook group denying his claim.

So it happened The Jim Murphy Doesn't  Speak for me group was set up. However it appears that Labour didn't know enough about Facebook to foresee the inevitability of such a group being formed. They are now calling foul in the Scottish press. This is from the Scotsman:

The Scottish Secretary said: "Politics is a rough old game, but this goes way too far. I wouldn't like my kids reading this online about their dad.
"I'm sure Alex Salmond didn't personally sanction this, but it's time for him to stop it."
Labour MSP Cathy Jamieson said: "This kind of vitriol and hatred is shocking … The SNP have done nothing to close down their cybernats – and now we know why."

Comments which give even further proof of how little Labour understands Facebook. Before these articles appeared in the press the Murphy group had under 200 members, within hours of the story appearing on the online copies of the papers it had gained another 60 members - how many will it have when the papers hit the news stands?

Alex Salmond does not and cannot have any censorship control over Facebook, the idea that people would only join groups personally approved of by the leader of the SNP is quite ludicrous - and the "CyberNats" who are group members include Conservatives, Lib Dems and non alligned people who just don't like the audacity of any politician claiming to "speak" for them.

And if Labour did have a clue about Facebook they would also know that the Murphy group is quite tame compared to some of the groups that Labour supporters are members of such as:

I Hate Alex Salmond 
Alex Salmond can bite my shiny metal Unionist ass 
Alex Salmond can jump hoops as far as I'm concerned...
I would never tire of slapping Alex Salmond  etc.

By condemning the SNP whilst Labour supporters are just as bad if not worse the Labour party isn't just showing itself to be totally out of touch with the "Facebook generation", it is showing itself up as stupid and hypercritical too.

Welsh-athon Challenge

I Found this challenge on Facebook, it sounds like an interesting way of encouraging people to learn Welsh and of of giving those who have started learning the language during new academic year an extra boost to their studies. On the other hand learning a new language can be a very stressful experience, would adding a semi-political and charitable goal add to the stress in a negative way?

Ever fancied learning Welsh? Ever fancied raising lots of cash for your favourite charity? Would doing one, convince you to do the other?

Then take up the challenge of learning Welsh to fluency before the 2011 census, (so you can proudly proclaim you speak Welsh on the next census return), and get yourself sponsored for the challenge, seeing how much money you can raise for your favourite charity! :o)

Our goal is:-
RAISING WELSH SPEAKERSHIP BY 2011 & RAISING FUNDS FOR EXCELLENT CAUSES!

Anyone could do it, but it's a BIG CHALLENGE! Here are the 10 steps you have to take:-

1. Select an excellent charity you wish to support (perhaps a Welsh one?)

2. Gain as much sponsorship as possible for your charity for the following challenge:-

"I challenge myself to become a fluent Welsh-speaker by the 2011 U.K. Census!"

(If you already speak a little Welsh, you only have to convince your sponsors that the challenge of becoming fluent is a big one! (Clearly it is - it's as arduous a challenge as any marathon, but thankfully you don't have to be physically fit!) If you have a head start in your learning, perhaps you could start your challenge later in the course of the event.)

3. (The difficult bit) LEARN WELSH TO FLUENCY, before the month prior to the 2011 Census, when you will have to prove your achievement! The challenge is possible within the two years study time available!

4. Don't learn alone - network with other 2011 WELSH-ATHON participants, share learning ideas, and learn together! Also please see the resources for learning Welsh that will be uploaded to 2011 WELSH-AHTON sites, as well as tips and recommended courses.

5. Attend the/an official 2011 WELSH-ATHON exam where your fluency will be tested - one month before the census is conducted - you'll be expected to translate the front page of the Welsh language daily newspaper "Y BYD,"[*] or a selected article from a Welsh language magazine, under exam conditions.

6. Notify the 2011 WELSH-ATHON reporters of how much you've raised, and what your chosen charity was, after passing the exam, so the success of the challenge can be reported by the Welsh media!

7. Attend the post-exam party, where people will be celebrating their newly learned Welsh, and how much they've raised for so many excellent causes!

8. Submit the funds you have raised to your selected charity!!!

9. Proudly indicate your ability to speak Welsh on your 2011 census return! :o)

10. Find out how many people can speak Welsh in Wales after the Census results are published, and enjoy the Welsh you've learned for the rest of your life, encouraging others by telling them how you succeeded in the challenge!

SURELY, IT'S THE MOST PATRIOTIC CHARITY SPONSORSHIP CHALLENGE A WELSH FUND-RAISER COULD FIND IN A LIFETIME!

The Facebook group is here Facebook Welshathon. Those who do not have a Facebook account can contact the organisers on

[* Challenge 5 needs updating!!!]

The danger's of Facebook

Donal Blaney has an hilarious example of the dangers of giving too much information Facebook.

The Economy and the Referendum

Since the beginning of the so called credit crunch, those who oppose Welsh self determination have found a new refrain: Constitutional issues are totally unimportant in the current financial climate.

On Friday Paul Murphy said:

Voters won’t thank us for putting a referendum before economic worries

On Saturday an anonymous commentator on this blog said:

unbelievable! world is going into meltdown and all you care about is giving more power to those wankers to bugger Wales up even more!

Today a journalist asking me about the Facebook YES Campaign raised a similar question. Should you be bringing this campaign on now, when people are more worried about the financial situation than the devolution settlement?

Draig, made an important point in responding to the crude nonny:

This isn't just a financial crisis, it's a constitutional crisis too.

And Draig is right. The financial crisis means that the Assembly needs as many powers as it can get to help Wales survive the consequences of the credit crunch.

Those of us with long memories will remember the comments of Eddie George, then Governor of the Bank of England who said in 1998 that unemployment in the north of England was a price worth paying to help the London economy. As far as Westminster is concerned unemployment, stagnation and depression in Wales would also be a price worth paying for recovery in the city. Wales needs a strong Assembly NOW to ensure that we aren't forced to pay that price again.

Facebook YES Campaign

Jim Dunckley and I have started a campaign on Facebook in support of calling a referendum on law making powers for the National Assembly and supporting a Yes vote:

Wales First/ Cymru Gyntaf is a non-party political group calling for a "Yes" vote in the upcoming referendum on full lawmaking powers for the Welsh Assembly.
Our aim is to use the internet to mobilise popular support for a full Parliament for Wales.
Let's give our first democratically elected forum here in Wales the power it needs to put Wales FIRST.

With a No campaign already getting publicity, despite only having half a dozen members, it is important that a Yes campaign exists to oppose them.

With some supporters of Devolution dithering and wondering if a referendum could be won it is important that there is a grass roots support campaign to show that there is support for putting Wales first and an enthusiasm for the Yes cause.

As John Dixon said a few weeks ago the wait and see approach being proposed by some has risks "a risk that we wait until the polls show that the argument has been clearly won before we start to present the case; and I don't understand how anyone would ever expect to decisively win any argument without putting the case."

If you support a yes vote in a referendum, I would be grateful if you joined the Wales First campaign, asked your friends to join and gave the campaign a mention on your blogs, web-pages, forums etc


http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40044911971

Is your facebook friend a spook?

Apparently MI6 is to use Facebook to recruit new spies.

Doesn't this defeat the object of spying? What is the point of hiring spies who are going to record their activities on a social network?

What are you doing now?
Filming secrets in the Russian Embassy!

I can't see it working somehow!